initiative 3: Accountability and Quality ASSURANCE (AQA)

PURPOSE

Humanitarian programs frequently encounter significant challenges knowing whether their programs meet standards of quality and accountability. Despite the critical nature of WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) interventions, evaluations often reveal recurring technical issues and highlight that the aid provided does not always align with the primary needs of the affected communities. Traditional monitoring and evaluation approaches tend to prioritize the tracking of activities over understanding their true impact on the field. This disconnect underscores the need for a more robust tool that can effectively bridge these gaps and elevate the quality of humanitarian responses.

GOALS

The Accountability & Quality Assurance (AQA) initiative is designed to ensure that WASH responses are not only effective but also safe and dignified for the affected populations. The primary goal of the AQA initiative is to deliver high-quality humanitarian aid by systematically monitoring and improving WASH interventions. By focusing on actionable metrics and community feedback, the AQA initiative helps organizations:
- Achieve their objectives efficiently.
- Avoid causing unintended harm (Do No Harm).
- Address the community's needs promptly and appropriately.
By using the AQA initiative, humanitarian organizations can better align their efforts with the real needs on the field, thereby enhancing the overall impact and accountability of their interventions.
The AQA Initiative is led by Solidarités International and Oxfam on behalf of the Global Wash Cluster and is currently funded by BHA/USAID.
​In the toolbox, you will find a comprehensive collection of resources designed to support the implementation of the AQA approach:
- Frameworks: Guides, templates, and reference documents.
- Tools: Instruments for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
- Procedures: Step-by-step protocols for ensuring quality and accountability.
- Good Practices: Examples of effective practices from the field.
- Examples: Case studies and real-life applications of the AQA tool.
 

THE AQA INITIATIVE CYCLE:  A 4-STEP APPROACH 

DASHBOARD

This dashboard presents the AQA initiative current deployment situation country by country:
  • Deployment status
  • Focal point and coordinator contacts
  • Links to quality snapshots

WORK IN PROGRESs

​- Autonomous implementation of the AQA initiative in the countries involved.
- Align AQA with the HPC process
- Tools development: Automatised Analytical framework at Cluster and organization level.
- Standardization: Efforts are underway to create standardized tools and set of KQIs that can be universally applied across different contexts to ensure consistent and reliable quality measurement.
- Additional Modules: New modules are being developed to expand the capabilities of the AQA tool. 

AQA E-Learning​

The French version of the AQA e-learning is now available on the AGORA platform. You can access it here. The English version is also available on the platform. 
 This course provides a comprehensive understanding of the Accountability and Quality Assurance (AQA) Initiative, designed to enhance the effectiveness of monitoring and evaluation in humanitarian efforts.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Provisional total budget:
650 000 USD

Synergies with:
Initiatives 1.3, 2.3 and 3.3
LED BY:
PARTICIPANTS:
Action Against Hunger, US Agency for International Development , International Medical Corps, Norwegian Refugee Committee, REACH, Tufts University, UN High Commissionner for Refugees, UN's International Children Emergency Fund, World Vision and International humanitarian Infrastructure Platform, Global WASH Cluster, International Committee of the Red Cross, and  London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
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